Shop Istanbul: The City’s Best Under The Radar Boutiques

If you climb to the top of the Galata Tower, which has been looming over this Istanbul neighborhood for the past 600-odd years, you will look out on a cobweb of vertiginous cobblestone streets and a panoramic view of the Golden Horn. But what you will not be able to discern from this height is that the winding paths below are increasingly playing host to a gaggle of fresh boutiques, making the area, also called Galata, Istanbul’s version of New York’s Williamsburg, or Paris’s haute Marais, or London’s Spitalfields—in other words, quarters that retain an air of gritty authenticity despite the encroaching presence of artists and free-thinking young professionals with their penchant for cafés, glassy restaurants, and of course, interesting shops.

At Nes, a mosaic parapet gives way to a well-lighted space where a felted-wool (a traditional fabric here) shrug is 80 TL, or around $50; at Bahar Korçan the pastel sundresses—perfect for Istanbul’s steamy summers—are frequently decorated with small angel-wing appliqués (the jewelry counter offers diamond wings as well). Perhaps the best known of the new shops in the area is Laundromat, where a Fashion’s Night Out sign adorns the front door and the typical hallmarks of local high style you see in so many shops in other parts of town—frankly far too much brocade and spangles—are thankfully nowhere in evidence. Here the reigning aesthetic comes straight from the Lanvin/Rick Owens playbook—drapy suggestions in muted colors, but all bearing Turkish labels.

At Arzu Kaprol, a huge pierced leather tote with patent handles would make a perfect if unexpected Istanbul souvenir. Aida Pekin has surprisingly eclectic, reasonably priced jewelry (one silver necklace sports a steamer like those you see plying the Bosporus). Across the street, order a Turkish coffee at Mavra, which has mismatched tables and shelves of quirky collectibles, and mull over potential purchases.

Our last stop (but it needn’t be yours, as part of the fun of exploring up-and-coming neighborhoods is discovering secret addresses of your own) is Atelier 55, which has whitewashed plank floors, a blue awning, and looks like it arrived in Istanbul straight out of the Hamptons. What could be cooler than baby-pink pumps on high golden platforms from London’s Charlotte Olympia, the perfect accompaniment to a frail chartreuse chiffon-and-lace frock by Bora Aksu, one of the stars of Istanbul Fashion Week?